The Omen Brothers

My fingertips brushed against the orange paint covering my bedroom walls. Maybe I should have changed the color at some point; I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It was something my dad and I did and now that he wasn't here, it just didn't feel right.

Not that it mattered now, anyways.

Mom was marrying a complete stranger she met one night at the casino. How they managed to hit it off when he lived hours away was beyond me. Fisting my jet-black hair in my hand, I pulled it over my shoulder. This house reminded me of both happy memories and devastating ones.

This was the first place my parents bought after they married. I've had slumber parties here with my best friend; this was the place I watched my parents love each other. Blowing out a breath, I stumbled away from the wall and dropped down onto the edge of my bed. This was also the place I found out my dad died. My mom turned to alcoholism within the week and remained that way until Bill came into the picture a couple months ago.

How was I supposed to let this place go, when it's all I've ever known?

A knock sounded against my bedroom door, capturing my attention. Worrying my lip between my teeth, I rose and strode over to the door where I proceeded to open it.

Megan stood in the doorway; a gentle smile plastered across her face. We grew up together. That was another hard part about leaving this town. She promised she'd spend the last week with me before I moved, and her parents reluctantly agreed. They were strict and set in their ways, so it was a surprise they were even allowing this.

"Hey. I saw your mom downstairs." She pushed past me and sat her bags on the floor near my bed before turning to face me again. "She asked me to come get you for dinner."

That's another thing I was still trying to wrap my head around. My mom went years without cooking, caring for me, or doing the basic things a parent should have done. I loved her so much, and I knew she was in a lot of pain from what happened to my father. It just didn't sit well with me that all of the sudden, since she'd moved on, she was back to her old self.

Why hadn't I been enough?

Shaking those thoughts from my mind, I nodded. Megan was here through it all. Without her, I wasn't sure I would have made it. She kept me grounded.

"Did she say anything else?"

She shook her head, pushing her plastic framed glasses up higher on her nose. "No. Why?"

I shrugged. Usually, my mom allowed me to eat in my room. Our relationship has been strained over the years, and now that I was about to be eighteen in September, she didn't try to push anything on me in fear of upsetting me. I think it was her way of apologizing as weird as it was.

I led the way out into the narrow hallway and into the kitchen. The table was already set once we entered, the scent of cheeseburgers wafting throughout the air, making my mouth water.

"Wow, it smells amazing," Megan praised.

My mom's gaze flickered to hers, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she placed a burger and homemade fries on each plate. Next, she poured tea into each glass before cleaning up around the kitchen.

While she did that, we both slipped into our designated seats and waited. This was the first time Megan's been over for a meal in like...ever. Except for when we were little, and she probably didn't even remember that.

My mom returned, taking the seat across from us. "The food is hot," she warned. "You might want to wait a few minutes."

I nodded. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Yes, actually. I wanted to talk to you about Bill's son, how did you know I wanted to talk to you about something?"

"Just a hunch." My gaze slid over to Megan who just shrugged as she took a sip of tea.

"His son?" I repeated, returning my attention to my mom.

I briefly remembered her mentioning a son. She hadn't said much else on the subject, and I didn't press her for answers either. I figured wedding planning and managing were stressing her out enough without me adding to it. The last thing I needed was for her to slip back into old habits. Apparently, even with a wedding planner, you still had to take care of certain things yourself. I internally rolled my eyes at that. Who would've thought?

"Yes...he's a bit of a troublemaker. According to Bill."

Raising my eyebrows, I plucked a fry from my plate. The warmth of the food item burned my fingers, and I dropped it back on the plate, remembering my mom's earlier warning about the food being too hot.

"Have you met him?"

"Bill?" she asked incredulously. "Of course."

Rolling my eyes, I shot her a playful smile. "Not Bill. Pierce."

Realization settled into her features, and she huffed a laugh before shaking her head. "I haven't. Bill's never brought him to meet me, not that he would have come anyways. Apparently, this wedding has been hard on him."

I couldn't say I blamed him. Weddings were difficult, especially when the person your parent was marrying was a stranger.

"So, what did his son do to warrant this?" I waved my hand around the kitchen for emphasis.

"Nothing in particular. Bill just warned me last night over the phone that I may not receive the warmest welcome. That goes for you too."

I nodded. "Consider me warned."

This Pierce guy had to understand that it wasn't my fault our parents were marrying. There's literally nothing I could have done about it. Why would I anyways? As long as both parties were happy and loved each other, there was no reason to try preventing it.

My mom blew out a breath of relief as if this conversation had been weighing on her. I couldn't imagine why unless there's something she wasn't telling me.

Now that it's been a few minutes, I took the fry between my fingers again and placed it in my mouth. I chewed slowly, savoring the taste. After having to live off noodles and packaged foods for the majority of my life, this was a habit I picked up. Even though I've been cooking for myself for the last two years now. Before that, it was microwavable meals.

"What day are we leaving again?" I questioned, taking another fry, and shoving that in my mouth too.

"The day after tomorrow. Greenbriar is about nine hours from here and we'll do a straight shot there and spend the first night in our new home on Thursday." She grinned at me over her glass before taking a long drink.

The wedding wasn't until this weekend, but she did mention us needing to leave earlier for a cake tasting event or something along those lines.

I nodded and returned my attention to my food. Scooping up my burger, I took a bite out of it, a satisfied moan bouncing around my throat as I savored the taste of this too. I could eat cheeseburgers everyday for the rest of my life.

After dinner, Megan unpacked her things. She's spent most of the week with me already but had to go home and get more clothes. It also made her parents feel better when she checked in physically.

We shuffled onto my bed and started watching the notebook. This movie could make me cry every time regardless of how many times I've seen it.

Megan liked to make fun of me for it, but she had no room to talk when she cried over the Titanic every time, we watched it. Placing my hands behind my head, I shifted into a more comfortable position so I could see the TV better.

I've already gotten some packing out of the way and Megan promised to help me with the rest tomorrow.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Megan began, rolling over on her side to face me. Grabbing my remote from my bedside table, I pressed pause and gave her my attention. "Nick texted me. He said he wanted to come over tomorrow."

"Nick?" I repeated, not bothering to hide my confusion.

Nick was more of an acquaintance. We talked at school, had some classes together, ate lunch together sometimes, but we've never hung out.

She nodded. "Truthfully, I think he has a crush on you."

I barked a surprised laugh. That was the last thing I expected her to say. "He does not. He would have made a move by now if that was the case."

Nick was a decent looking guy, but we grew up knowing each other. For him to have a thing for me all of the sudden didn't make any sense. I hadn't heard from him since May anyways and it was August now. None of the guys here were worth a second look.

She shrugged. "There have been signs. You're just oblivious to them."

Snorting, I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Like what?"

"For starters, he follows you around like a lost puppy." Before I could comment on that, she continued. "He stares at you all the time. Especially in class when you aren't paying attention. And don't you find it weird that I told him you were moving like two weeks ago and he decides to show up the day before you leave forever?"

My forehead creased as I processed everything she was saying. I've caught him staring a few times, but never thought much of it. I didn't find it weird that he followed me around since we were comfortable with each other. We just kind of fell into that dynamic. It didn't feel weird.

I shrugged. "Maybe he just wants to tell me bye."

"Or...he wants to pop that cherry." She made a popping sound with her lips for dramatic effect. I shot her a glare and rolled my eyes, my face heating from the blush crawling across my skin.

"He does not."

"Whatever you say." She smirked. "I'll just be over here observing, waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell you that I told you so."

"Can we just finish the movie?" I questioned, not bothering to hide the annoyance from my tone.

I just wanted this conversation to be over. If I ever lost my virginity, it wouldn't be to Nick. I wanted it to be with someone I deeply cared about and trusted. Someone who wouldn't just add it to the long list of notches on their bedpost. This was important to me.

Megan was still a virgin, but only because she wasn't attracted to any of the guys in our tiny town either. The first chance she got; she'd lose it. She thought I was being unrealistic for wanting to wait, but why pressure it? It should come naturally, and it should be more than a lust-induced haze.

I wasn't naïve enough to believe in a happily ever after. Relationships were hard. The real magic was when two people came together, and instead of running when things got hard, they found a way to work together despite it all. Even when the whole world seemed to be against them.

That's what I wanted.

It wasn't unrealistic to want to be cared for. It's called knowing your self-worth and having respect for yourself. I refused to settle for anyone. I've seen reality TV, and even some of the boy drama that happened at school. Girls fought one another over boys all the time and it was weird. Why get mad at the girl when he's the one who cheated?

I must have been so lost in thought that sleep snuck up on me, because the next thing I knew, I was completely surrounded by darkness and my mind was dancing along the edge of consciousness. Finally, I slipped and plummeted into a deep sleep.